Puneeth Rajkumar's 'James' to be released on late superstar's birthday

The last film from Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, James, is soon going to be released. According to reports, the Chethan Kumar-directorial will be released on the Powerstar's birthday on March 17 as a tribute to the actor's legacy. What's more, Karnataka's movie distributors have reportedly decided to not release any other film during that week (March 17-23) in a bid to pay their respects.
Rajkumar's sudden demise in October last year came as a shock to the entire Kannada film fraternity and thousands of his fans. Now, viewers will be able to witness their favorite Appu on the screens once again as a lead in James, so there's a lot of anticipation around it. Kannada filmmakers and distributors' move to allow James a solo release is indeed heartwarming.
While the release date is still awaiting official confirmation, makers have announced a special poster for the film will be released on Wednesday, i.e., on Republic Day. Announcing the news on social media on Tuesday, director Kumar wrote: "#Bolobolojames (sic)." The poster for the venture will come out at exactly 11:11 am, said the announcement. The feature is being backed by Kishore Productions.
#James Special Poster On Jan 26th @ 11:11 am.!@PuneethRajkumar@BahaddurChethan@Kishorepathiko1#Powerstar #PuneethRajkumar #AppuLivesOn #BoloBoloJames pic.twitter.com/FcNrw0A52N
— James (@JamesTheMovie1) January 24, 2022
Coming to the action entertainer, James also stars Priya Anand, Meka Srikanth, and Anu Prabhakar Mukherjee in pivotal roles. Rajkumar is likely to play an armed officer as per promotional releases. Reportedly, the late actor's brothers and actors—Raghavendra Rajkumar and Shivarajkumar—have cameo roles in the film. Charan Raj is helming the music with PRK Audio (Rajkumar's home banner) supporting the music production.
Apart from James, Gandhada Gudi is another venture featuring Rajkumar that is set to release this year. The Yuvarathnaa star will be exploring the varied flora and fauna of Karnataka in this Amoghavarsha directorial. Moreover, streaming platform Amazon Prime Video recently announced they would let viewers enjoy five Rajkumar-led films for free for one month, starting from February 1.